Display container



June 13, 1961 M. w. VANNICE 2,988,411

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Feb. 1, 1960 United States Patent fornia 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 5,823 11 Claims. (Cl. 312-111) The present invention relates generally to the packaging or container art, and more particularly to a novel display container which includes a transparent drawer and which is especially suitable for use in a tiered or stacked arrangement for storing shoes, sweaters, shirts, and other items of wearing apparel in stores and in the home. Containers constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention are also useful in storing small parts in manufacturing plants, for storing bandages, rubber gloves and the like in hospitals and doctors oflices, and in numerous other situations where it is desirable to have containers which can be used individually, assembled in side-by-side relationship in single row or tiered pattern, or stacked in single or multiple columns, and which permit the contents of a drawer to be viewed through its walls or the walls of adjacent units without removing the drawer from its sleeve or housing.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a transparent or opaque sleeve member made of plastic material which slidably receives a drawer member made of transparent plastic material. The side walls of the sleeve member contain large apertures, whereby the contents of the drawer member can be viewed through the transparent front wall thereof or through the transparent side walls thereof and apertures in the side walls of the sleeve member without removing the drawer member from the assembly. The sleeve member is also provided with inter locking means adjacent the front and back ends thereof whereby the containers can be positioned one on top of the other in a tiered or stacked relationship without danger of relative sliding movement, or relative tipping movement as may occur when a loaded drawer is being withdrawn from its sleeve member.

It is well known that many of the houses which are being constructed at the present time lack adequate closet and storage space, and even in homes with relatively large amounts of such storage facilities, the occupants usually find that the facilities are inadequate. Also, because of the relatively small size of bedrooms in the average house, the number of chests and the like which can be accommodated in the bedroom, is quite small.

Another problem encountered in homes, and in stores, manufacturing establishments, and the like, is that it is difiicult to remember the location of a particular item which is stored away in one of a number of drawers. By way of example, if a woman stores her purses in small individual drawers of a chest, she will usually have to pull out several drawers before she finds the particular purse she is seeking. The same problem exists to a lesser or greater extent in stores, manufacturing plants, hospitals, business ofiices, and the like where drawers are used for the storing of merchandise, small parts, oflice supplies, and the numerous other items required for the transaction of business and the performance of professional services at the present time.

A particular problem of this type exists in many homes relative to the storage of shoes. At the present time shoes may be stored in conventional pasteboard shoe boxes closed by tight-fitting lids or covers these being stacked on a shelf or in the corner of a closet whereby each time the user wishes to locate a particular pair of shoes it is necessary to remove and open several boxes before finding the pair of shoes that is sought. 0n the- Patented June 13, 1961 other hand, in those situations where the shoes are stored on the floor of a closet without benefit of a box, they tend to collect dust and become scuffed and intermixed from being moved back and forth on the wooden door.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel display container which is so arranged and constructed that the contents thereof can be ascertained without opening the container or removing it from its stored position. More particularly, it is an object to provide such a container which has viewing windows or panels incorporated therein whereby the contents can be viewed without disturbing the container.

Another object is to provide a novel display container which can be readily and securely assembled in tiered or stacked relationship and in which the contents of one container can be viewed through walls thereof or through the walls of an adjacent container.

It is also an object to provide such a container which includes simple, interengaging means whereby one container can be mounted upon another in stacked or tiered relationship with each container removably fastened to the one below it, without adversely affecting the appearance of the containers. Specifically, it .is an object to provide a novel container which can be stacked one on top of another in interlocking relationship, which can be opened from the front to examine the contents thereof without removing it from its stacked position, and which will not become disengaged from the one below it when the loaded drawer is partially withdrawn from the assembly.

A further object is to provide a novel display container which is very pleasing in appearance, rugged in construction, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. More particularly, it is an object to provide such a display container which is molded from plastic material and which is constructed to provide a clean-cut, modern appearance so as to be suitable for use in homes, business offices, manufacturing plants, and the like.

Yet another object is to provide a novel display container of molded plastic material which includes a housing and a transparent drawer member slidably positioned therein, and in which scratching and scoring of the drawer member and the outer walls of the housing are minimized. More particularly, it is an object to provide such a container which can be stored with like containers in side-by-side relationship in situations where individual containers may be removed from the assemblage without" scoring or scratching the outer walls of adjacent housings. In like manner, it is a particular object to provide such a container in which foreign particles of dust and the like entering between the drawer and the housing will be discharged therefrom Without causing appreciable damage to the appearance of or detracting from the transparency of the transparent drawer.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. For convenience of illustration, the present invention is shown and will be described as embodied in a shoe box, but it is to be understood as previously mentioned that it is not limited to this particular application.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of shoe boxes constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, shown in vertical tiered or stacked relation- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sleeve of one of the boxes;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drawer of one of the boxes;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 44 in FIG. 1';

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary Sectional view taken on the line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the underside'of the bottom wall of the sleeve, showing the hook and lug mounting means; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lower right-hand corner of the bottom box shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, 10 indicates generally a shoe box embodying the teachings of the present invention, which comprises a sleeve member 11 (FIG. 2) and a drawer member 12 (FIG. 3) adapted'to be slidably positioned therein. Both.

members are preferably molded from plastic material which is relatively inexpensive, very durable, and which can be washed with water and conventional detergents when it becomes necessary to do so. The use of plastic material also permits the various elements of the sleeve member to be molded together as a unit so as to' present a smooth uninterrupted inner surface, for a reason to be discussed more fully hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sleeve member :11 includes a top wall 13 which has a rear edge 14, opposed side walls 15 with upper edges 16, and an open bottom wall 17 framed by relatively narrow side strips or rails 18 and frontand rear strips 18a and 18b, the rails of one sleeve member engagingthe top wall 13 of a lower sleeve member (FIGS. 1 and 4) and being thereby prevented from downward flexing. The bottom wall 17 could-be of solid construction but it has been found most advantageous to produce it' in the manner shown in order to reduce the amount of friction between the sleeve member 11 and its co-oper-ating drawer member 12, and to minimize the scratching or scoring of the transparent walls of the latter, as may occur'when foreign material lodges between the two members. It is preferable to have at least the top wall 13' and the side walls 15 of unitary molded construc tion to present a pleasing appearance and to provide smooth, continuous inner surfaces in order to further minimize scratching or scoring of the drawer member 12.

The bottom wall 17 may be formed integral with the side walls-15 or it may be fastened thereto by means of protuberances or lugs 19 (FIG. 6) which depend from the sidewalls 15 adjacent thefront and rear ends thereof, and which are cemented in elongated openings 20 formed in the bottom wall 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the openings 20 are formed inwardly of the outer edges 18 of the bottom wall 17 so that each one provides four surfaces'for cementing-purposes. The top wall 13 and the bottom wall 17 are preferably of the same width for stacking purposes so that the inward position of the openings 20 also permits the side walls 15 to besloped downwardly and inwardly to conform with the slope of the sides of the drawer member 12, the degree of slope being exaggerated in the drawing for clarity.

The side walls 15 contain windows or apertures 21v which are substantially as large as the walls themselves so that the contents of the drawer member 12 can be viewed from the side of the box, the top of the windows being spaced downwardly from the edges 16 to provide dust andreinforcing strips 22 integral with the top wall 13 which cover the upper edges of the drawer member 12'. Formed in the top wall 13 adjacent the forward edge thereof, are two rectangular-shaped openings 23 and depending. from the top wall at a position to be engaged by the drawer, preferably adjacent the rear edge 14, is a reinforcing flange or stop member 24 (FIG. 5), the side edges of which terminate inwardly of the side walls 15 for a purpose to appear.

Referring to FIG. 6, the bottom wall 17 contains two spaced, elongated depending lugs 26 adjacent the front end thereof which are shaped to fit into the openings 23 in the top wall of a sleeve member positioned immediately below it. The bottom wall also contains spaced,

hook members 28 which extend rearwardly, downwardly and forwardly from the rear edge thereof, and which are spaced inw-ardlyof' theside walls 15' so as not to contact said walls when the sleeve members 11 are stacked one on top of the other. The lugs 26 and the hooks 28 are of approximately the same height or thickness so that when they function as the legs of the bottom sleeve member in a stack, the bottom unit will not be tilted an appreciable amount from a horizontal plane.

The sleeve member 11 (FIG. 2) is preferably opaque, but it can be transparent, or the plastic material from which it is made can be tinted to varying degrees so as to be merely translucent.

The drawer member 12 (FIG. 3) is made from clear or so' slightly tinted plastic material as to be transparent. It is preferably of unitary construction, and includes a bottom wall 30, opposed side Walls 32, a rear wall 34, and a front wall 36. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, theside walls of the drawer member are inclined outwardly from the bottom toward the top. A handle 38 projects forwardly from the front wall 36 adjacent the upper edge thereof and is preferably molded integrally with that wall. The drawer member 12 is of a size to slide easily within the sleeve member 11 with very little verticalor sideward movement, and it is also of approximately the same length as the sleeve member. It will be noted that the drawer member 12 will slide into and out of the sleeve member 11 on the narrow strips of the bottom wall 17, particularly the side rails 18, but that it is prevented fromv passing completely through the sleeve member 11. by the depending stop member 24 (FIG. 4) engaging the back wall 34.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper edge 16 of theside wall 15 and the edge of the side rail 18 of the bottom wall 17 are in substantial vertical alignment so that when boxes are stackedin side-by-side relationship, the upper edge 16 and edge of the side rail 18' of one box will respectively engage the upper edge 16.. and the edge of the side rail 18 of the box immediately adjacent thereto to impart rigidity to the stack of boxes. Also, because the side walls 15 are inclined downwardly and inwardly sov as to be. spaced from the side edges 18, boxes can be removed from a stack. and be reinserted between adjacent boxes without the respective side walls 15 coming in contact, one with the; other. This is of considerable importance when plastic material is used in the construction of the sleeve members because it prevents the outer surfaces thereof'frombecoming scratched and marred as may occur when plastic surfaces are rubbed together with hard foreign particles positionedtherebetween. The sloping configuration of the side walls 15 has the further advantage that the walls are approximately parallel with the. side walls 32 of the drawer member so as to provide a more pleasing appearance.

As previously mentioned, the opening in the bottom wall 17 of. the sleeve member reduces the amount of friction between said wall and the bottom wall 30 of the drawer member. In addition, it minimizes the scratching and marring of the bottom surface of the drawer member. Thus, if the bottom wall 17 were to be of solid construction and a hard foreign particle became lodged between it and the bottom of the drawer, the particle would scratch the opposed sliding surfaces each time the drawer member 12 were moved relative to the sleeve member 11. On the other hand, with the openbottom wall construction, the particle would be dislodged from between the surfaces and fall through the opening upon relative movement of the two members. This same ad vantage resides in the use of the openings 21 in the side walls. 15 of the sleeve member. In addition, the smooth inner surfaces of the sleeve member, made possible bythe' unitary molding of at least the top wall 13- and the side walls 15, further minimizes the scratching of thedrawer member 12. Consequently, the drawer member l2 can be molded'from clear plastic material to provide smooth,

finished walls which will have relativelylittle chance of;

becoming scratched or marred, andtherefore, the.con-.

tents of the drawer can be easily viewed through the front wall 36 thereof or through the windows 21 and the side walls 32.

To mount the shoe boxes one on top of the other in atiered or stacked relationship, the upper box is positioned over the lower box with the hook members 28 of the upper box slightly to the rear of the rear edge 14 of the lower box. The upper box is then moved forwardly until its hook members 28 engage the rear edge 14, and the lugs 26 on the upper box are then dropped into the openings 23 in the top wall 13 of the lower box. This procedure is then repeated with each box which is to be positioned on top of the previously assembled boxes.

As shown best in FIG. 5, the depending flange stop member 24 terminates short of the inner faces of the side walls of the sleeve member 11 so that the hook members 28 have a limited portion of the rear edge 14 which they can engage. This assures that the boxes 10 will be mounted one on top of the other in aligned relationship,

and facilitates the positioning of the lugs 26 in the openings 22. 3

It will also be noted that the hooks 28 prevent the upper shoe box from becoming disengaged from the one below it by tilting, as would occur when a loaded drawer member 12 is withdrawn from such a box which did not have means holding together the rear portions of the stacked boxes.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided a novel display container or shoe box which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. The box '10 is made from plastic material which is very durable and which can be washed with water when it becomes necessary to clean it. The openings 21 in the sides of the sleeve member 11 together with the transparent drawer member 12 permit the contents of the drawer to be viewed from the front of the box or from either side thereof without having to withdraw the drawer member from the sleeve.

The open bottom and open sides of the sleeve member provide easy sliding action of the drawer member within the sleeve and also minimize the scratching and scoring of the drawer as may occur when hard foreign particles become lodged between the two members. Also, because of the projecting edge of the rails 18 and the fact that the walls 15 are positioned inwardly of such edge and the upper edge 16, the outer wall surfaces of adjacent boxes are not in contact when the boxes are placed in sideby-side relationship, thereby further minimizing scratching problems.

The boxes can be easily and quickly positioned one on top of the other in interlocking stacked relationship with the sides in vertical alignment, and can be just as easily and quickly disassembled when necessary. The hooks 28 prevent the stacked shoe boxes from tilting and separating one from the other when a loaded drawer member is withdrawn from its co-operating sleeve member.

When the boxes are stacked one on top of the other, the open bottom wall 17 has the further advantage of permitting simultaneous easy viewing of the contents of several boxes when the sleeves are of transparent material. On the other hand, when the sleeves are made of opaque plastic material, the top wall 13 of the box positioned immediately below the one being used provides a solid background for viewing the contents of the last-mentioned box.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given only by way of illustration and example, and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure which will be' readily apparent to those skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 791,943 filed February 9, 1959.

,1 claim:

1. A display container, comprising: a molded plastic sleeve member having opposed side walls, a top wall, and

a bottom wall, andbeing open at both thefront and the back ends, the sleeve member being shaped to slidably receive a drawer member inserted in the front end thereof; a flange member depending from the top wall at the back edge thereof for limiting the rearward movement of the drawer member in' the sleeve member, said flange member having side edges terminating short of the side walls of the sleeve member so as to expose the back edge of the top wall adjacent the side walls; spaced apertures in the top wall adjacent the front end thereof; spaced hook members depending from the bottom wall at the back end thereof and adjacent to the side walls for removable interlocking engagement with the exposed back edge of the top wall of a like sleeve member positioned immediately below it; and spaced lug members depending from the bottom wall adjacent the front end thereof, said lug members being of a size to fit the apertures contained in the top wall of said like sleeve member positioned below it like contents in which the contents of each container of a stacked pair is viewable from the front and sides thereof even under adverse ambient light conditions, each display container comprising: a drawer of molded transparent plastic material having a bottom wall, two side walls respectively meeting said bottom wall at two lower side edges, a front wall and a rear Wall, all of said walls being unitarily molded of said transparent plastic material, said drawer being of shoe length to receive between said front and rear walls content articles of such length viewable from the front through said front Wall and from the side through said side walls by ambient light transmitted therethrough; a sleeve member made of molded plastic material providing an open-ended passage slidably receiving said drawer and of a length substantially corresponding to the longitudinal length of said drawer between said front and rear walls thereof, said sleeve member providing opposed side walls substantially identical in shape and spaced slightly more than the drawer width, a top wall and a bottom wall, such bottom and side walls of said sleeve member having smooth internal surfaces slidably engaging said drawer upon longitudinal movement thereof along said passage of said sleeve member, said top wall being a molded wall covering said passage and the upper interior of said drawer, said top wall having a top surface, said bottom wall of said sleeve member including unitarilymolded front and rear strips at the front and rear extremities' of said sleeve member and two side strips forming substantially flat rails, said side strips being flexible in an up-down direction, said front, side and rear strips bounding a bottom aperture only slightly smaller in area than said top wall, said side walls of said sleeve member having leg portions respectively at the front and rear extremities of said sleeve member separated longitudinally thereof, said side walls having viewing and light-transmitting apertures between the leg portions: thereof exposing to view through said apertures substantially the entire length of said contents, said side walls of said sleeve member being molded integrally with at least one of said top and bottom walls of said sleeve member, the bottoms of said leg portions being joined to said bottom wall, said rail-forming side strips being flexible in an up-down direction at locations between said leg portions, said side strips fiat flexible side strip to maximize entry of ambient light intosaid drawer through the corresponding viewing and i 2. Stackable display containers for displaying shoes and drawer contents adjacent the corresponding one of said lower side edges of said drawer, said tops of said side stripsrespectively' forming the bottoms of said viewing andilight-transmitting apertures; stop means on said sleeve member limiting the degree of insertion of said drawer to a position in whichthe front top corner of the drawer is adjacent said common plane; and interengaging means comprising protrusions on and molded integrally; with one of, said top and bottom walls of said sleeve member inter locking with the other of said walls of an adjacent sleeve member of said pair'of stacked. containers to restrain such sleeve membersagainst' relative movement in the direction ofsliding of said drawer;

3. Stackable displaycontainers as defined in claim'2 in which said stop means is a reinforcing flange molded integrally with saidltop wall and depending in said passage of said sleeve member in the path of movement of a wall of said: drawer member.

4. Stackable display containers as defined in claim 2' including means for rigidifying said top wall against downward flexing.

5. Stackable display containers as defined in claim 2 in which eachside wall of the sleeve member includes a top flange molded integrally. with the upper ends of the corresponding. two leg portions and with the top wall of such sleeve member, such flange. depending a substantial but small fraction of the distance between saidtop. and bottom walls of said sleeve member to a position below the top of. said'drawer and providing alower edge bounding the top. of; the corresponding viewing and: light-transmitting apertures whereby such aperture is displaced downwardly from the. center" of. the corresponding side wall of the sleeve member, said flange and said leg portions of each side wall lying in a common plane.

6. Stackable display containers asdefined in claim 2 in which. eachsleeve member is formed entirely of molded transparent plastic material whereby the contents of the lower. drawer of a stacked pair can be viewed through the transparent drawer walls and bottom aperture of the upper container and through the transparent top wall of the lower container.

7. Stackable display containers as. definedin claim 2 in which each sleeve member is formed of moldedopaque plastic. material whereby the contents of an upper drawer of a stacked pair can be viewed against the background of the, opaque top wall of the sleeve member of the lower of a stacked pair of containers.

.8. Display containers as defined in claim 2 in which said interengaging means of each container includes a pair of plastic hook members integrally molded with and extending rearwardly, downwardly and thence forwardly from said rear strip of said bottom wall dimensioned to hook over laterally spaced portions of the rearmost edge ofthe top wall of the lowermost of a stacked pair of said containers, a pair of plastic protrusions molded integral withand extending from one of said top and bottom walls of said sleeve member near the front thereof and at positions spaced from each other laterally of the sleeve memher a distance substantially less than the width of such wall, and sockets molded in the other of said top and bottom walls spaced laterally of the sleeve member said same distance, said projections and said sockets being positioned inwardly from the sides of the corresponding wall to leave the edges thereof straight and substantially unobstructed, said rearmost edge of said top wall providing a'depending flange integral therewith and positioned between said laterally spaced portions.

9. Stackable display containers for displaying shoes and like contents in which the contents of each container of. a stacked pair is viewable from the front and sides thereof even under adverse ambient light conditions, each display container comprising: a drawer of molded transparent plastic material having a. bottom wall, two side walls respectively meeting said bottom. wall at two lower side edges, a front wall: and a rear wall respectively meeting 7 said bottom wall at lower front and rear edges, all. of said.

walls being unitarily molded of said transparent plastic.

material, said sidewalls tapering in such manner thattthe lateral distance between said two lower side edgestisless than the lateraldistance between said side walls at the-tops thereof, said front and rear walls tapering in such manner that the longitudinal distance between said lower front and rear edges is less than the longitudinal distance be-- 'tween said front wall and rearwall at the tops-thereof, said drawer being of shoe length to receive between saidfront and rear walls content articles ofsuch length viewable from the front through said front wall and from the side through said side walls by ambient light transmitted therethrough; a sleeve member made of molded plastic material providing an open-ended passage slidably receiv ing said drawer and of a length substantially correspond-- ing to the longitudinal length of the upper end of said drawer between said tops of said front and rear walls thereof, said sleeve member providing two opposed side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, such bottom and'side walls of said sleeve member having smooth internal surfaces slidably engaging I said drawer upon longitudinal movement thereof along said passage of said sleeve member, said top wall being a molded wall covering said pas-- sage and the upper interior of said drawer, said top wall having a top surface, said bottom wall of said sleeve member including unitarily-molded front and rear strips atthe front and rear extremities of said sleeve member and'two side strips formingsubstantially flat rails, said side strips being flexible in an up-down direction, said front, side and rear'strips bounding a lower aperture only slightly smaller in area than said top wall, said side Walls of said sleeve member having leg portions respectively at the front and rear extremities of said sleeve member separated longitudinally thereof, said side walls having viewing and light-- transmitting apertures between the leg portions thereof exposing to view through said apertures substantially'the.

entire length of said contents, said side walls of said sleeve member being molded integrally with at least one of said top and bottom walls of said sleeve member, saidleg portions of said opposed side walls having inner faces converging toward said bottom wall of said sleeve member, the leg portions of each side wall being joinedto'the corresponding side strip at positions spaced inwardly of:

the outer edge of such strip, the outer edge of such side strip forming a projection ledge in the plane of said bottom wall of said sleeve member extending perpendicular to such leg portions sidewardly and outwardlybeyond at least a portion of the outer faces of each of such leg portions of each side wall, said rail-forming side strips being flexible in an up-down direction at locations between said:

light into said drawer through the corresponding viewing and light-transmitting aperture and to expose to view'the drawer contents adjacent the corresponding one of saidlower side edges of said drawer, said tops of saidside strips respectively forming the bottoms of said viewing and light-transmitting apertures; and stop means on said sleeve member limiting the insertion of said drawer to a position in which said lower front edge thereof is rearward of the front edge of said front strip of said bottom Wall.

10. Stackable display containers for displaying shoesand like contents in which the contents of each container of a stacked pair is viewable from the front and sides thereof even under adverse ambient light conditions, each display container comprising: a drawer of molded:transparent plastic material. having a bottom wall, twov side Walls respectively meeting said bottom wall at two lower side edges, a front wall and a rear wall respectively meeting said bottom wall at lower front and rear edges, all of said walls being unitarily molded of said transparent plastic material, said side walls tapering in such manner that the lateral distance between said two lower side edges is less than the lateral distance between said side walls at the tops thereof, said front and rear walls tapering in such manner that the longitudinal distance between said lower front and rear edges is less than the longitudinal distance between said front wall and rear wall at the tops thereof, said drawer being of shoe length to receive between said front and rear walls content articles of such length viewable from the front through said front wall and from the side through said side walls by ambient light transmitted therethrough; a sleeve member made of molded plastic material providing an open-ended passage slidably receiving said drawer and of a length substantially corresponding to the longitudinal length of the upper end of said drawer between said tops of said front and rear walls thereof, said sleeve member providing two opposed side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, such bottom and side walls of said sleeve member having smooth internal surfaces slidably engaging said drawer upon longitudinal movement thereof along said passage of said sleeve member, said top wall being a molded wall covering said passage and the upper interior of said drawer, said top wall having a top surface, said bottom wall of said sleeve member comprising unitarily-molded front and rear strips at the front and rear extremities of said sleeve member and two substantially flat side strips forming rails flexible in an up-down direction at locations between said front and rear strips, said side strips having lower surfaces engageable with and supported against downward flexing by said top surface of said top wall of the lower of a pair of stacked containers, said front, side and rear strips bounding a bottom aperture only slightly smaller in area than said top wall, each of said side walls of said sleeve member comprising two leg portions at the front and rear extremities of said sleeve member separated longitudinally thereof to form a viewing and light-transmitting aperture therebetween only slightly shorter in length than the longitudinal length of said drawer to expose through said aperture substantially the entire length of said contents, said side walls of said sleeve member and said top Wall thereof being integrally molded, said leg portions of said opposed side walls converging toward said bottom wall of said sleeve member, the bottoms of said side walls of said sleeve member providing depending projections, the tops of said side strips of said bottom wall providing corresponding sockets in which said depending projections are adhered, the outermost wall of each socket being spaced inwardly from the outermost edge of the corresponding side strip a distance which is at least a large fraction of the thickness of the corresponding side member whereby each side strip provides a projecting ledge extending sidewardly and outwardly beyond the lower ends of the corresponding leg portions; stop means on said sleeve member limiting the insertion of said drawer to a position in which said lower front edge thereof is rearward of the front edge of said front strip of said bottom wall; and interengaging means comprising protrusions on one of said top and bottom walls of said sleeve member and corresponding socket means on the other interlocking such walls of superimposed sleeve members against relative movement in the direction of sliding of said drawer.

11. Stackable display containers for displaying shoes and like contents in which the contents of each container of a stacked pair is viewable from the front and sides thereof even under adverse ambient light conditions, each display container comprising: a shoe-length drawer of molded transparent plastic material having a planar bottom wall, two side walls, a front wall and a rear wall unitarily molded of transparent plastic material; a sleeve member made of plastic material providing an openended drawer-length passage slidably receiving said drawer, said sleeve member including a one-piece substantially impervious top wall sized to cover said pass age and the interior of said drawer, two one-piece molded side panels respectively depending from the sides of said top wall, each having front and rear leg portions and a top flange, and a bottom wall comprising a pair of vertically flexible side strips respectively connecting the bottoms of said leg portions on each side of said sleeve member and extending inward of said leg portions forming rails at the bottom of said passage slidably engaged by the lower longitudinal edges of said drawer, the leg portions and the top flange of each side panel lying in a single plane and being molded integrally with each other, each one-piece molded side panel having smooth unobstructed planar drawer-guiding inner surfaces formed by the inner faces of said leg portions and said top flange, said leg portions and said top flange bounding therebetween a large viewing and lighttransmitting aperture extending downwardly to said side strips, said top flange depending from said top wall a substantial but small fraction of the distance between said top wall and said rails suflicient to oifset said large aperture substantially downward from a position centrally of said side panel, said side strips being formed of molded plastic material and being flexible in an up-down direction at locations between said leg portions, said side strips having lower surfaces engageable with and supported against downward flexing between said leg portions by the top surface of the top wall of the lower of a pair of stacked containers, the front edges of said leg portions at the front of said sleeve member being in a common plane with the front edge of said top wall; stop means on said sleeve member limiting the degree of insertion of said drawer to a position in which the front top corner of the drawer is adjacent said common plane but beneath said front edge of said top wall; and interengaging means comprising projection means molded integrally with the bottom of said sleeve member inwardly of the periphery thereof and corresponding socket means molded integrally with the top wall and positioned inwardly of its periphery to engage the projection means of a superimposed sleeve member to interlock same against relative movement in the direction of sliding of said drawer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 188,075 Vannice May 31, 1960 460,252 Lehmann et al Sept. 29, 1891 1,148,238 Kline July 27, 1915 1,282,833 Holder Oct. 29, 1918 1,308,647 Stuck July 1, 1919 1,329,616 Larson Feb. 3, 1920 1,730,791 Speiser Oct. 8, 1929 2,157,954 Gould May 9, 1939 2,162,089 Kagen June 13, 1939 2,184,854 'Spooner Dec. 26, 1939 2,482,174 Hake Sept. 20, 1949 2,811,404 Brooks Oct. 29, 1957 2,907,618 Rostau Oct. 6, 1959 

